ADLOCVTIO
NEWSLETTER OF THE TWENTIETH LEGION

Vol. XIII, no. viii, August 2003

EVENTS
       Summer's almost over, time to march again!  On September 13-14 the Legion will be encamped all by ourselves at Marietta Mansion, from 10 AM to 4 PM both days.  A few visitors will straggle by, now and then, and we will endeavor to entertain them with scintillating conversation, snappy marching drill, and amazing feats of pilum-chucking.  A good chance for potential new members to come out and see what we are all about.  If you want to participate but lack clothing or equipment, NOW is the time to contact your Commander about that, so we can arrange for you to borrow what you need. From I-95/495, the Capital Beltway, take Exit 20 onto Rt. 450 East, go 4 miles, turn left on Rt. 193, then left onto Bell Station Rd. and left again into Marietta.

       September 27-28 is the fall Universal Soldier program at Fort Washington, Maryland.  It runs from 10 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, and 10 to 3 on Sunday.  For details of the activities, see above!  Fort Washington National Park is located at 13551 Fort Washington Rd., Fort Washington, MD 20744.  301---.  From I-95/495 the Capital Beltway, take Rt. 210 Indian Head Highway South; go about 4 miles and turn right at the light onto Fort Washington Road, which ends about 3.5 miles later at the park entrance.  Admission for the public $5 per car (but they don't always charge!). http://nps.gov/fowa/vip.htm, or http://nps.gov/fowa/universal.htm.

VISITOR
       At our July fabrica we had a visitor, Luca Bonacina of Legio V Lucana in Italy.   He flew all the way from Rome just to see one of our workshops!   Hah, just kidding, he actually was in Chicago on business so it was just a hop and a skip.  We all had a great time, showing him our gear and hearing his descriptions of how his group does things.  We were very impressed that they are building their shields from layered strips of wood rather than modern plywood, hmmm....  Thanks for visiting, Luca, it was great to meet you!

MORE DISTANT EVENTS
       The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art in Cedar Rapids, Iowa is celebrating the opening of a new exhbition, Art In Roman Life: Villa To Grave on September 19 and 20, 2003.   They would like to have several reenactors attend with their costumes and equipment to lend reality to the flavor of two events:  a gala Roman banquet fundraiser on Friday evening and then a street festival on Saturday.   The Museum is willing to pay airfares, accomodations and miscellaneous expenses, plus a token honorarium.  If you are interested, please contact Candy Wong.  Basic event information is online at http://www.villatograve.org.
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       Wanna be in the movies? Gary Barbosa writes:  "Champion Productions is filming a movie trailer at the Parthenon in Nashville Tennessee, in October.  We need extras, Romans, Legionaires and Gladiators.  There will be a fight scene filmed between the cast members.  We are going to have exclusive access to the Parthenon and are thinking of making it a Roman Convention, after the filming."  If you are interested, contact Gary at 727---.
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       (From Rusty Myers, Legio VI Ferrata in South Carolina):
       I know it is a long haul for you, but at least wanted to invite you!  Our first large event in South Carolina!   On behalf of the ISPA and The Legionaries and Supporters of Legio VI Ferrata Fidelas Constans, I would like to formally invite you to our first annual Castro Romani, November 6 thru 10, 2003.  This event will be held at Givhans State Park in South Carolina.  Knowing it is a bit of a drive for most, we are pulling out all the stops to make this an experience you will not want to miss, nor ever forget!
       While this event will be advertised and open to the public, our primary goal is to provide a unique experience to our participants.  To this end we have a great number of events which will interest the Roman Reenactor, be they soldier or civilian!  This will include a period smithy, potter, baker, and more.  If you have a unique impression you would like to bring and add, please contact us.  There is no cost to our participants for any of the events they can participate in or for the encampment itself.
       Soldiers will get the opportunity to drill and train with double weighted weapons, pila range, live sword (against a post of course!), in addition to participating in Military Games, a 1.5 mile nature trail road march, guard mount, pay issue, and more.  The highlight of the event will be the Centurios Convivium, a grande Roman Banquet prepared by our gourmet Roman Chef, and hosted by the Centurio.
       The timing of the event allows us to incorporate the long Veterans Day weekend for units that must travel far.  Average Temperature in November in South Carolina is 70-75 degrees.  In addition there are few if any events on the calendar for that period of time.  Plus… the mosquitos are mostly dead!  Legio VI will be onsite Thursday the 6th to Monday the 10th, but you should try to arrive sometime Friday unless you are setting up a special event or station.  Vendors are welcome to set up a display, but we ask that they remain in period as much as possible, and you must contact us as soon as possible.  We have limited room for vendors, but will endeavor to accommodate you.   Remember this event is being planned for the participants, so we need you to attend!  Please RSVP by October 1st with firm numbers if at all possible (this is so we can plan the feast).
       It is our sincerest hope you will plan to attend.  We will have an excellent time, and want you to be there to celebrate the growth of Roman Living Archeology!

Justus Rustius Longinus, Centurio, Cohrs I
Legio VI FFC
http://legvi.tripod.com/castroromani/
 

SURF'S UP
       Photos from the event at Fort Malden in New Windsor, Ontario, from Matt Lanteigne of Legio XXX Ulpia Victrix (which attended with three other Roman groups), http://www.ourpinkhouse.com/gens/mald03.htm
       A number of folks alerted me to this article about the excavation of a sealed container of some sort of cream, complete with original Roman fingerprints! http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/3101701.stm
       If you are into little metal men, Associate member Tony Dilluvio now runs a military miniatures shop in Nyack, NY, http://www.thebarracksgate.com.

MARS ULTOR
       This month and next Earth is catching up with Mars, an encounter that will culminate in the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history.  The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287.
       Due to the way Jupiter's gravity tugs on Mars and perturbs its orbit, astronomers can only be certain that Mars has not come this close to Earth in the last 5,000 years but it may be as long as 60,000 years.
       The encounter will culminate on August 27th when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles and will be (next to the moon) the brightest object in the night sky.  It will attain a magnitude of -2.9 and will appear 25.11 arc seconds wide.  At a modest 75-power magnification Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye.  Mars will be easy to spot.  At the beginning of August Mars will rise in the east at 10 p.m. and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m.  But by the end of August when the two planets are closest, Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its highest point in the sky at 12:30 a.m.  That's pretty convenient when it comes to seeing something that no human has seen in recorded history.  So, mark your calendar at the beginning of August to see Mars grow progressively brighter and brighter throughout the month.
       Share this!  No one alive today will ever see this again.
 
CALENDAR
   September 6, maybe? --Workshop.  At Roger Moskey's, maybe?
   September 13-14 -- Fall Encampment at Marietta Mansion (assuming that I get around to sending the form in…).  Just us on the lawn, a quiet weekend.
   September 27-28 -- Universal Soldier program, Fort Washington.  Yes, they know they need better publicity!
   October -- Workshop
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ADLOCVTIO is the Official Newsletter of the Twentieth Legion, supposedly published on the Ides of each month.  I am Quintus, aka Matthew Amt, the Legion's Commander and Editor of the Newsletter, http://www.larp.com/legioxx/.   Valete!